You're Beautiful: Episode 13 » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

279 November 18, 2009January 24, 2016

You’re Beautiful: Episode 13

by javabeans

What an utterly delightful episode! I wasn’t exactly disappointed with last week’s, but I do think they took a small step back from the giddiness and/or angst of previous episodes. Well, it’s all back today, and in full force.

Also: When did Jung Yong-hwa learn to act?? He wasn’t ever terrible, but he seems much better all of a sudden. I like.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lucite Tokki – “손” (Hand) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 13 RECAP

Although we understand what Tae-kyung means by giving Mi-nyeo “permission” to like him, because Mi-nyeo is simple-hearted, she takes it at face value. She asks, “Can I really like you? Won’t that be ridiculous and make you feel awful?” (She’s referencing the words he’d said when he thought she liked Shin-woo.)

He answers, “Well, it is a little surprising and feels strange, but it’s not bad.” She worries that he’ll find her feelings bothersome, so he says, “Go Mi-nam, I’m someone who receives love from a tremendous number of people. That’s my job. Adding you to my fan club isn’t a bother. That’s who I am, so you can like me.”

Hilarious! Her pure nature allows Tae-kyung to save face while seeming oh so magnanimous, but what adds icing to this cake is her response: “Thank you. Even if it’s just as your fan, thank you for letting me like you.”

Tae-kyung didn’t mean it that way, that she should like him just as a fan would like a star, but he’ll have to work with it. He motions her closer and holds out his hand: “Welcome to my fan club.”

Thankfully, this scene isn’t a total letdown for those of us who wanted more because he grabs her in a surprise hug.

She’s startled, but he maintains his nonchalance as he says, “This is because you’re a special fan. It’s an honor, you know.” But his boyish smile conveys how he actually feels about this.

Mi-nyeo says goodbye to Mother Superior, who looks over at Tae-kyung and asks, “Is that person your star?” Mi-nyeo replies, “Yes, he’s like a very distant star.”

Mother Superior watches Mi-nyeo leave with Tae-kyung in a moment that somewhat reminds me of a father giving away his daughter at the wedding altar. Mother Superior muses, “That distant star came all the way here to find her. The two of them shine brightly. Even if stars shine more brightly in the dark, I pray that when darkness finds them, they will not lose their light.”

Which is a nice way of saying, (1) Mi-nyeo is an equal partner for Tae-kyung, and (2) They aren’t lone stars, but each other’s light.

On their drive, Mi-nyeo eats some tangerines given by the nun, but finds them too sour and advises him not to eat them. Not one to be left out, Tae-kyung tells her, “I like sour things” and asks for one.

She hands him one, and he points out that he’s driving and can’t peel it. Basically, he wants her to feed him.

Tae-kyung adds, “Go Mi-nam, from now on, don’t be with Shin-woo when you’re dressed like that.” Thinking he means that she doesn’t look pretty as a girl, she decides to change back into men’s clothing, and he clarifies, “You can dress like that with me. Don’t do it in front of Shin-woo. Because of you, Manager Ma, the stylist, and I all thought you liked Shin-woo.”

Thinking that her behavior has again inconvenienced Shin-woo, Mi-nyeo decides, “I’ll have to treat Shin-woo hyung well.” Tae-kyung frowns: “Treat Shin-woo well? How did we end up at that decision?”

Meanwhile, back at the greenhouse, the reporter sniffs around for clues and finds Mi-nyeo’s dropped photo of herself as a girl. He recognizes the face as Mi-nam, and hurries to A.N. Entertainment to confront the team about the woman. Hoon-yi explains that the woman is Mi-nam’s twin sister, and shows the official birth records to prove it. The reporter accepts this, since it makes sense that Mi-nyeo would be at her brother’s concert and photo shoot. This also means Shin-woo is dating Mi-nam’s sister, which is a big scoop.

The best way to handle this is to call Mi-nyeo over to “prove” that the story is real. Mi-nyeo worries whether she’ll be able to hold up under scrutiny — it’s like she’s gotten so used to everyone playing along with her boyish appearance that she thinks she’s more credible as a boy than a girl. Tae-kyung tells her encouragingly that she can do it, and to let Shin-woo do the talking. He hands her the hairclip and assures her, “In my eyes, you are clearly a girl.”

Shin-woo then steps forward to take her hand. He says, “She’s my girl now. I’m taking her.”

As Tae-kyung watches them leave, he mutters a complaint — even though he knows it’s only for pretend, he chafes to hear Shin-woo addressing Mi-nyeo as “my girl.”

Show time. I LOVE how befuddled Sung-chan is to see Shin-woo present Mi-nyeo as his girlfriend, although he pretends that he’s in on the secret.

Shin-woo asks the reporter to go easy on them, since Mi-nyeo is an ordinary citizen and very nervous about this. Reporter Kim is happy to oblige, since in exchange he’s getting an exclusive interview that will announce their coupledom in an article to come out over the weekend.

Sung-chan sees that Shin-woo likes Mi-nyeo a lot, particularly given the story about how he confessed his feelings with the gift of shoes, to make her into Cinderella. (Tae-kyung scoffs, “The shoes have to fit for her to be Cinderella.”)

Now that two of his boys are allegedly dating, Sung-chan advises him to think not only about their love lives, but to put some effort into their fan clubs too: “Fans are people who cry and wail over liking you, but go on to marry another man. That’s also the limit to the love a star can receive.”

Wise words! This conversation is a nice echo of Mi-nyeo’s declaration at the top of the episode — sometimes the Hong sisters get too on-the-nose with their symbolic statements, but I like it better when they’re a little less obvious.

Tae-kyung thinks to himself, “That’s right, a fan can change easily and go to another man. But you can’t argue with a fan. What do I do?”

After Mi-nyeo changes back to Mi-nam’s clothing, Shin-woo tells her she did a good job and suggests they practice their explanation about how they got together.

As he provides their story, Mi-nyeo accepts it unquestioningly, although we recognize his words as a quasi confession of his true feelings. For instance, they first met on the roof of a club the night of Mi-nam’s induction into the group. She had been drunk, and he’d caught her from falling: “That’s when I first met you as a girl.”

In this version of their love story, Mi-nyeo called him Shin-woo oppa from the start, and they grew close very quickly. They had their first date at the amusement park, where they rode the rides together. Afterward, they went to Myungdong and ate noodles and ice cream together, and went shopping. Mi-nyeo memorizes the story as he provides it.

But there’s one important detail that’s bound to come up — what about their first kiss? She’s uneasy, and suggests they say they haven’t done it yet. Shin-woo kisses his fingertips and presses them to her lips. He tells her, “Let’s tell them it was today. I liked you so much I decided to confess my feelings for you.”

Then, as they face their shadows cast on a large wall, he thinks back to his preparations for the restaurant date that never was: “I borrowed an entire restaurant and waited for you to come. I wanted to stand in front of the mirror and show you — that this is the person I liked. Then, you’d look in the mirror and be surprised. And then I told you, I knew you from the beginning and had been watching over you all this while. I really like you a lot.”

Mi-nyeo is oblivious to his underlying meaning and treats his story as pure fiction, and adds, “Then I must have answered like this: ‘I like you too, Shin-woo oppa.'”

Since this scene is using the mirror and their shadows as analogues, Mi-nyeo looks at the wall and comments that she can’t see his expression in the shadow. Shin-woo can see from hers that “Your shadow looks happy. Are you okay about Tae-kyung making things hard on you?”

She answers, “Actually, he found out how I feel. But he wasn’t upset. That alone is a relief.” In his sad, quiet voice, he tells her, “I see. That’s what it seemed like. I guess I won’t see you crying anymore.”

He hints that his expression in the shadow is sad, but when she looks at him curiously, he smiles for her benefit. He assures her that her story has a happy ending.

Aunt Mi-ja is bitter over Hwa-ran’s confession that she caused the death of the twins’ mother. Hwa-ran admits, “We separated because of my mistake, but we continued loving each other.” Mi-ja is indignant, since the woman had to watch her man be in love with another woman while she was pregnant: “You’re right, she did die because of you!” Hwa-ran answers, “That’s why I said I would repay that debt to the children.”

Sarcastically, Mi-ja retorts, “Oh, the kids’ll be so grateful for that. Hearing this song, written by the father who left their mother to cling to you, ought to make them dance for joy!” Mi-ja stomps on the CD (which is the first really sympathetic thing she’s done, I think). Hwa-ran bursts out, “I’m going to leave them half of my inheritance! If Jae-hyun hadn’t died, I would have become their mother. Please bring them to me and help me repay my debt.”

So, Mi-ja deliberates over the right thing to do. The twins will surely not be pleased to face Hwa-ran, but perhaps they deserve to take the woman’s money.

Taking Sung-chan’s advice, Tae-kyung looks at their fan club, bothered to see that they’ve lost members. He grumbles, “Pig-Rabbit, you can’t drop off like this with so little loyalty.”

Thinking back to his conversation with Mi-nyeo, he’s dissatisfied with the way they settled on having her be his “fan.” He wonders, “How can I make the ungrateful Pig-Rabbit take on a loyal fan attitude?” To his surprise, he sees a recent message posted in the fan cafe, written by a new user named “Pig-Rabbit.” He gapes: “She joined the real fan club?”

That she did. Mi-nyeo sees that a number of fans have recently quit, understanding that one can join and leave pretty easily. (Again, this ties in to the metaphor of her feelings as a fan and her feelings as a woman.)

Just then, she receives a message from the “administrator”: “You have passed the new member test.” She writes back, “If I don’t pass a test, am I not able to join?”

On the other side, Tae-kyung smirks and says, “Pig-Rabbit, I’ve got you now! Shall we first test your interest in me?” His next message asks her to rate her knowledge of Tae-kyung. Mi-nyeo thinks this over honestly, and writes back her response as a rating out of 10.

Surprised, he frowns: “A 7? That’s it?”

His next question asks her to rate his looks. Recalling her compliments about how cool he is, he’s pretty confident about this one — only to get back the ego-crushing answer: “A 5?! That means I’m only average!”

Tae-kyung calms himself, reminding himself that he can’t argue with a fan. He types furiously, and the next question receives a 4. Another question yields a 7. And then he hiccups to actually get back a 2.

Overall, this means he has averaged a 5. He is not at all pleased, since this means that the fan could be swayed either way with a little pressure. He hesitates to ask his final question, worrying, “What if the answer comes back less than 5? I feel more nervous than when I went out on my first piano competition.”

Mi-nyeo receives the question, which asks, “How much do you like Hwang Tae-kyung?” On the other end, Tae-kyung awaits her answer with a pounding heart, and opens the message to find:

“100!!”

Here’s the gif — if only I could reproduce that little squeal Jang Geun-seok makes.

Tae-kyung grabs Pig-Rabbit for a hug, and tells it gleefully, “I cancel what I said about you being ungrateful. You’re the best. 100 points!”

Mi-nyeo awaits the administrator’s response, then receives a text message from Tae-kyung summoning her in the name of a “fanmeeting.” She finds Tae-kyung at the piano, tapping out the child’s tune “Mountain Rabbit.” She thought he hated that song, but he says, “I conquered my trauma over the rabbit.”

Mi-nyeo asks asks what a fanmeeting is, and he replies, “It’s what happens when I invite all the people who like me and make them feel good.” Taking on the demeanor of the host of a real fanmeeting, Tae-kyung asks his “audience” for song requests. Mi-nyeo picks, and he complies.

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Jang Geun-seok – “Fly Me to the Moon.” This is ripped from the episode. [ Download ]

Mi-ja still feels torn over whether she’s doing the right thing, but brings Mi-nyeo to meet with “her father’s friend.” The two are startled to recognize each other, and Mi-nyeo connects the dots, remembering Hwa-ran’s revelations to Tae-kyung about being in love with the songwriter. She asks, “Were you really friends with my father?” and emphasizes the word friend.

Hwa-ran expected Mi-nyeo to know the details, but decides not to reveal them herself, answering that they were friends. She’s remaking the song because she felt sorry for how he struggled when he was so talented.

When Hwa-ran reaches out to pat Mi-nyeo gently, the reaction strikes her as odd — the boy use to shrink back when she touched his ear, which was the only way she could tell the twins apart. She tests her theory by asking Mi-nyeo for help zipping up her dress — which she does without any problem. Hwa-ran decides this must be the girl, not the boy.

Heyi is, once again, annoyed to have such a hard time getting in contact with Tae-kyung and invites herself over for lunch. Tae-kyung rejects her lunch plans, and when she announces that she’s going to take photos to prove they’re friends, he retorts, “Photoshop it.” HAHA.

Of course, she reminds them of her threat to expose Mi-nam, so they reluctantly comply. She assigns each guy a task, enjoying having them cook for her. It’s pathetic, really, how desperate she is for companionship that she’d prefer to coerce someone into being with her, and then acting like it was done willingly. She accepts their spaghetti offering as though they’d really done it out of friendliness, and prepares to dig in.

In a cute moment, Shin-woo whispers to the guys that it’s going to taste bad because he oversalted it. Jeremy asks, “You too, hyung?” — because he’d added sugar! Tae-kyung smirks that he also added something.

Jeremy readies the camera to capture Heyi’s reaction, while the guys wait in anticipation… but just before she takes a bite, Mi-nyeo arrives. This may just be the only circumstance in which they’re actually bummed that Mi-nyeo interrupted a moment with Heyi, lol.

However, Heyi checks their reactions, suddenly declaring her appetite gone. She offers her lunch to Mi-nyeo instead, who accepts cheerfully. The guys groan inwardly — and at the last minute, Jeremy jumps in (sweet Jeremy!) to spare Mi-nyeo the experience. He forces himself to eat it instead, and guesses the third secret ingredient that Tae-kyung added: “V-vinegar?”

To make up for Jeremy’s sacrifice, the guys make a new lunch (fried rice), which they all eat together. As they sit around the table, Heyi clocks Shin-woo’s looks at Mi-nyeo, and suspects something more beneath the surface.

Therefore, when he excuses himself to grab some tea from his car, she follows. We see that his trunk holds a dying bouquet of flowers as well as his gift of shoes, which he quickly puts away when Heyi approaches. Annoyingly, Heyi pokes her nose in, trying to gauge his feelings. She asks whether Mi-nam liking Tae-kyung makes him feel bad. to which he answers, “Just talking to you makes me feel bad.”

Guessing that the gifts in the car were for Mi-nyeo, Heyi follows Shin-woo back inside, then swipes his car keys. She draws Mi-nyeo aside, where she presents the items and tells Mi-nyeo to try on the shoes: “If they fit you, I’ll think of them as yours and give them to you.”

Mi-nyeo has no idea what this is about, but tries on the shoes, which fit perfectly. Heyi’s hunch thus confirmed, she grabs Mi-nyeo and heads inside “to confirm this together.”

The look on Shin-woo’s face as he registers that Mi-nyeo is wearing the shoes is pretty awful, and by awful I mean heartbreaking. Mi-nyeo doesn’t understand so it’s not that he feels embarrassed because of her — it’s more about having his emotions stripped bare before he’s ready to do them himself, and having them exploited by someone as hateful as Heyi for her own amusement. Ouch!

Heyi asks pointed questions about who the shoes were meant for. Mi-nyeo doesn’t know they’re for her, but she recognizes that Shin-woo is feeling hurt and that it’s related to her wearing the shoes, and takes the shoes off apologetically.

Tae-kyung is sharper than the rest and starts to see what Heyi is getting at. He drags her out as Shin-woo says, with difficulty, “I should have just thrown them away.” He looks at Mi-neyo and says, “Mi-nam, throw them away for me.”

Tae-kyung orders Heyi, “Don’t show up again. You’re through here.” She repeats her threat to spill everything, but Tae-kyung challenges her, “Then what? How will Korea’s Fairy Yoo Heyi come out of that?” This makes her pause. She answers, “I can pretend I didn’t know.”

Tae-kyung counters, “But I’m going to act like you did. Aren’t you afraid of what I’ll do?” He tells her to leave.

Mi-nyeo finds Shin-woo alone on the deck and tells him, “You were a big comfort to me when I was in difficult times. I want to comfort you too, but I don’t know how.” He asks her to “just sit by me,” and after some time, he explains, “I put all my heart into those presents. Seeing them like that made me feel bad.”

Mi-nyeo apologizes for acting foolish and tells him not to throw the shoes out — she’ll clean them, and he can give them to the person he meant them for. Sigh. I know Mi-nyeo is hardly the brightest star in the sky — or moon — but she can really be dense. (It’s a really good thing she was set up as a nun, because her naivete really helps to make her seem simple rather than brain-dead.)

Shin-woo is of similar mind, because her failure to read the situation hits him as another letdown: “I haven’t been able to confess my feelings once, but it feels like I’ve been rejected a hundred times. I don’t think I’ll be embarrassed now even if I’m rejected for real.”

We return to the theme of them both being idiots in love, and Mi-nyeo says, “We can become cool idiots who love diligently.” But regardless of what happens, they can’t force someone to like them. They can’t ask the impossible.

The guys check up on Shin-woo to make sure he’s feeling better. Tae-kyung senses there’s meaning behind the shoes, but hasn’t fully made the leap — he wonders what reasons Shin-woo could have had for giving shoes to Mi-nyeo. Come on, buddy, just take a few more steps and you’re there…

Later, Mi-nyeo accompanies Tae-kyung to the studio where he’s working on the song remake for Hwa-ran. He tells her, “This is work that makes me feel extremely bad. Go Mi-nam, as a fan, stick right by my side.”

But she has to decline because she’s going to Busan today. She and Shin-woo are going to visit his parents to explain the situation before the article comes out. Hoon-yi, the stylist, and Jeremy will accompany them, so they’re going to make a fun trip of it, and she invites Tae-kyung. He declines because he’s busy, expecting them to return that night, but is surprised to hear that they’ll be making it an overnight trip. Mi-nyeo announces happily, “Shin-woo promised to buy us delicious kkomjangeo [hagfish]!”

Tae-kyung attempts to change her mind with subtle suggestions (which he should know never work on her): “Go Mi-nam, they have that in Seoul too. If you come back today, I’ll buy it for you at a really delicious place.” He’s stuck with her response: “But they say the Busan kkomjangeo is the best!”

Hwa-ran drops by to check on the progress of the song, and uses the opportunity to ask Sung-chan about Mi-nam. Sung-chan tells her she can drop by and see both Tae-kyung and Mi-nam, since they’re good friends.

That tidbit strikes her as odd, but she agrees that they are looking chummy when she sees them together at the studio. She thinks, “If he knew that she’s Go Jae-hyun’s child, he wouldn’t even bother talking to her. Until the song comes out, I’d better pretend not to know.” But a second thought occurs: “He can’t be acting like that knowing she’s a girl, is he?”

Hoon-yi announces that he and Jeremy can’t make the trip because Jeremy has a last-minute appearance scheduled, and sends Shin-woo and Mi-nyeo off together. This is a deliberate ploy, and Hoon-yi congratulates himself for doing the couple a favor, still thinking that Mi-nyeo is in love with Shin-woo.

The plan is for Mi-nyeo to change into girl’s clothing, then meet up with him separately. Shin-woo asks tentatively, “When we get to Busan, do you want to say we’re dating for real?” It’s the hesitation in his voice that makes my heart twist for him in this scene, as he adds, “You’re a girl, and if we really date, the reports will be true.”

Mi-nyeo answers in puzzlement, “But we both have people we like.” Shin-woo asks, “What if we leave the people who don’t like us back and start new together?” He offers, “Will you like me? I’ll like you.”

Tae-kyung finds out that Hoon-yi and the others won’t be accompanying the couple to Busan, and can’t hide his dissatisfaction over this. As he often does, he talks out his dilemma, trying to reach a decision:

Tae-kyung: “Go Mi-nam gave me 100 points. Then why am I still uneasy? Because she might not keep giving me 100 points. If I want to keep receiving 100 points, what do I have to do? I have to tell her I’m glad to receive 100 points, and that I don’t want to lose even one point.”

He grabs his jacket and heads out.

It’s nearing boarding time, and as Shin-woo readies to go first, he tells Mi-nyeo: “I’m not telling you to give your feelings all at once. If you think you could give even a little bit of your heart, that’s the beginning. I’ve already begun. I’ll leave first. If you think you can begin to have feelings for me, come with me. I’ll wait for you.” He gives her the ticket and heads inside the airport, leaving Mi-nyeo to make her decision.

Tae-kyung arrives at the station and searches all over for Mi-nyeo, growing frustrated when he doesn’t see any sign of her. He just misses seeing Shin-woo waiting for his departure, who finally walks to the gate to board alone.

Thinking he’s missed his chance, Tae-kyung stamps his foot in frustration. He walks outside, shoulders slumped as he wonders, “When she gets back, will I not have 100 points? What if she starts to take off points while she’s in Busan? I can’t tell her not to take points off after she’s already cut down the score.”

Making up his mind, Tae-kyung checks his watch and sees that he still has time — if he drives as fast as he can, he can make it. (It’s 5 hours by car, 1 by plane.)

Just then, he stops short to see her: “Go Mi-nam — you didn’t go!”

She startled to find him here, but that doesn’t even compare to his reaction, which is a sudden burst of surprise, relief, and happiness. He’d thought he’d missed her.

Overcome with relief, he grabs her in a sudden hug, and tells her, “Go Mi-nam, I give you the same score.”

COMMENTS

Finally, we get a straight confession out of Tae-kyung! Okay, granted Mi-nyeo has no idea what he’s talking about with “scores” and she’s not as caught up in the emotion of the moment as he is, but the significance of the statement is that he’s finally declared something without beating around the bush, or twisting around her words to give himself the upper hand. He’s startled into making an uncharacteristically honest declaration that doesn’t put his pride ahead of their feelings.

I love Shin-woo in the airport scene, when he comes as close to declaring himself as he ever will. Ultimately I think he still makes a huge mistake, by trying to protect himself and not admitting the full truth that he always knew she was a girl. He tries to work his true feelings into the constructed truth he has presented to Mi-nyeo, and in the end it’s not enough to be half-honest. Mi-nyeo is still going to feel more sorry for him than anything, and although he tries to make a case for a “fresh start” for both of them, they’d be building it on a false base — one where he knows her truth but she doesn’t know his. She’d still think he was pining for the girl he really liked, and that they were each other’s secondary choices.

This doesn’t mean I dislike Shin-woo, of course. It’s just another reason why he’s the dreaded Second Lead and not the big hero in this drama.

This was kind of Shin-woo’s big episode, wasn’t it? I’ve been sympathetic of his predicament before, but this was the first time I actually felt something for him, rather than just thinking I was supposed to feel for him. Shin-woo has been drawn as a gentle, lovable guy but I haven’t really bought the act, other than as a stand-in for That Guy we’re supposed to feel sorry for. So I was very glad to finally see Jung Yong-hwa making some real progress here. Funny how I thought he was rather stiff doing straightforward emotions like jealousy and/or sadness, but thought he did a nice job with more complex expressions of ruefulness, tentative hope, and melancholy.

The scene where he tells Mi-nyeo their story of how they supposedly met is a key example. It’s also really sad, because while Mi-nyeo accepts his story as merely their cover, Shin-woo is again enamored of romance, constructing his version of what would have happened if his wishes came true. Mi-nyeo thinks this is a fun exercise, but Shin-woo’s building his sad fantasy. For instance, he recalls their Myungdong date and tells Mi-nyeo that in their story, “Wherever I wanted to go, you came running.” He says this as he remembers the opposite example — that when she got a call from Tae-kyung, she went running to meet him instead.

There’s a moment after their interview with the reporter where Shin-woo looks at Mi-nyeo, dressed in her boy clothing again, and says half-jokingly that he wanted to spend more time with his girlfriend. He wants to pretend to be the couple longer to extend his fantasy, because that’s the only time he can be honest with his own feelings — when Mi-nyeo is acting the part.

Funny enough, Tae-kyung has the opposite problem in this episode. Shin-woo wants to maximize his false relationship — like Heyi, he’ll take the illusion over nothing, sadly — but Tae-kyung is trying to move past the false “fan-star” framework he has inadvertently created. In the beginning of the episode, he finds himself confined to a boundary he doesn’t actually want. This happened because he sought to preserve his pride by calling Mi-nyeo just another one of his many fans.

In contrast with Shin-woo, who’s still hiding behind half-truths, Tae-kyung acts in an honest reaction at the end. Even disregarding the fact that Mi-nyeo and Tae-kyung are So Meant To Be, you have to respect the guy who’s learned from his first almost-missed-chance to grab it (literally!) the second time. Shin-woo has had multiple chances, but he’s still too afraid to take them.

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201 simplesim

November 19, 2009 at 5:15 AM

Thanks JB for your superb recap. I so love the dialogue parts that you translated. The gifs and the song rip are icing to the cake! :-)

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202 Judy

November 19, 2009 at 5:22 AM

JGS' voice is addictive, just like his acting and YB. I keep replaying "Goodbye" and rewatching YB.......

Love his song "Goodbye". JGS sings better than a lot of idol boys!

I feel sorry for SW, but I like this episode a lot since TK and MN are getting closer and closer.......so sweet....

But good times would not last long. Episode 14 seems to be a sad one.....

I am feeling down already as YB is ending soon.

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203 KDJ

November 19, 2009 at 5:27 AM

hahaha... haiss happy and sad because it will going to end soon!

oh my!

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204 Mel

November 19, 2009 at 5:49 AM

I thought I died & went to heaven when I saw Jang Geun Seok's boyish smile when he hugged GMN after the "confession" about liking a star inthis episode.

The preview for Ep 14 look very exciting! I was anticipating how the Hong sisters would bring this series to a bombastic end and keep us glued to it.

Thanks for your recaps JB! :-) I always look forwards to Thurs and Fri lunch breaks during work to sneak in a lil read of your recaps :-)

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205 Leiloo

November 19, 2009 at 6:04 AM

First time commenter here but been reading your recaps for awhile now
Wow, the comments just keep coming, there were 7 comments earlier and i just left to watch the drama and suddenly its now up to 200+?
This drama just keeps getting better and better, just when i thought i have my favourite episode, the next ones just outdo the previous ones. The manager's expression when he told taekyung that he left minam and shinwoo together was just priceless. I had to pause and laugh until my sides hurt.
I dont know if it's been asked but can someone PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME ON THIS?
When heyi was confronting shinwoo about the presents. taekyung had a flashback of president ahn telling him that the shoes was a proposal present.
So did taekyung think that the shoes was just for a show
OR
He figured out that the shoes were really for Minam?
THIS HAS BEEN BUGGING ME!

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206 Len

November 19, 2009 at 6:08 AM

"Ultimately I think he still makes a huge mistake, by trying to protect himself"
Javabeans,

I find it interesting that you see Shin-woo not letting Mi-nyeo know that he knew she was a girl as an attempt to protect himself, because I read into his motivations differently.

I don't see it as a matter or pride or self-preservation for Shin-woo, but rather, a matter of timing. In Episode 12, he stopped himself from telling her how he really felt after his outburst of anger, which I'm sure you could interpret as a moment of dishonesty in the same sense that he wasn't truly expressing himself, partly out of his realization -- after seeing her tears -- that it may not have been the right time to do so. This is a running theme of Shin-woo through YB: timing.

So when he was constructing his sad fantasy or asking her out of a constructed version based on truths rather than telling her outright everything he knew, it wasn't so much out of a desire to protect himself. Even Shin-woo says so himself in this episode (as you have translated):

“I haven’t been able to confess my feelings once, but it feels like I’ve been rejected a hundred times. I don’t think I’ll be embarrassed now even if I’m rejected for real.”

It's his obsession with timing and THE MOMENT. Even then, he probably feels that it is not the right time to let her know. It's ironic, because Shin-woo's so careful to get the right timing that he always misses them. Contrast this to Tae-kyung, who doesn't give a flying fig about timing but always captures them because he acts on his first instinctual emotions.

I feel Shin-woo's reasons for not telling her outright everything -- i.e. the fact that he knows she's a girl, his feelings for her from the very beginning -- is because he feels it's not the right time to do so. I think Shin-woo's so concerned about burdening Mi-nam with the truth -- i.e., his feelings go deeper than he lets on and he's more perceptive than she gives him credit for -- that he tries to justify to himself that'll be better to tell her the truth when she's a) dealing with less problems in regards to Tae-kyung, and b) more in mind of returning his feelings. In that case, then, Shin-woo probably shouldn't have asked her to go out with him, but this is where his flaws come to play because his rationalizations aren't on the same level with his emotions. (I feel like he tries to rationalize his actions in asking her out via "misery loves company" in hopes that this will be a "win-win" situation in which both gets rid of their misery a.k.a. unrequited love, by finding it in each other.)

ETA: Yes, JYH really (surprisingly) shined in this episode, which made me really hopeful of his potential for acting.

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ladida

March 17, 2011 at 11:51 PM

The snark in me wants to say that his mistake was in falling in love with a girl who's so annoyingly passive and willing to be manipulated, but the "let's have a conversation" in me attributes it more to the writing and the formula of most dramas: Go Minam isn't really seen as a person by either Shin Woo or Tae-kyung. Shin Woo creates this elaborate other version of her, which is kind of creepy, and Tae-kyung just kind of uses her as fuel for his own ego. Either way, what matters is that Minam does not love Shin Woo, so even if he had been completely honest from the get-go, he would still be rejected. That is the fate of the second lead. The only reason it seems so glaringly unfair here is because Tae-kyung is so grating and mean sometimes. (Also, Shin Woo does not reveal everything to Minam-mostly because she can't take a hint-but she had started out intentionally lying to the band members, no?)

I guess the reason why I like Shin Woo more is because I feel that if Minam were a little smarter she could keep up with his half-way stories. He could quit the band and write dramas for a living. I feel like Shin Woo needs someone to meet him in the middle, as evidenced by his saying he's willing to wait for her. After all, isn't that what Minam needs? She needed Tae-kyun to "let" her love him. (erm...?)

But let's face it, out of all three, Jeremy always wins! :D

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207 moomoomoo

November 19, 2009 at 6:17 AM

I have always thought i was a Taekyung Minam fan but today I was bawling my eyes out during this episode.
I always thought the fact that shinwoo was always just a step behind was frustrating but today my heart went out to him.
oh my poor shinwoo!!!
shin woo hyung!!!!
why should he have set himself for another round of disappointment again at the airport??
lol.. i was so sad that i couldn't bring myself to be happy when taekyung hugged minam!

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208 sweetaddiction

November 19, 2009 at 6:24 AM

Like some people have been saying, prepare yourself for some head on angst in ep. 14. I just finished watching it live. But almost have fun laughing your butt off. You'll see what I mean.

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209 itsjustme

November 19, 2009 at 6:32 AM

"In contrast with Shin-woo, who’s still hiding behind half-truths, Tae-kyung acts in an honest reaction at the end. Even disregarding the fact that Mi-nyeo and Tae-kyung are So Meant To Be, you have to respect the guy who’s learned from his first almost-missed-chance to grab it (literally!) the second time. Shin-woo has had multiple chances, but he’s still too afraid to take them. "

THIS. This is the reason why I am Team Taekyung from the start.

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210 mee

November 19, 2009 at 6:40 AM

So I'm not the only one who was fascinated by the instant camera :)
Looks like Heyi's using the pink version of this, in case anybody else wants one, too:
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/cameras/instax_mini_7/

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211 sweetaddiction

November 19, 2009 at 6:51 AM

@210. We have the same name. Is this your real name? Mee? Cause that's my name too.

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212 jacq

November 19, 2009 at 7:00 AM

I must admit that I was a bit annoyed at MN's denseness. I was like, get what the guy is trying to tell you already! All the hints were there.....Poor poor Shin-woo. How my heart pains and breaks for you.

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213 mee

November 19, 2009 at 7:09 AM

@211. It's a variation on my real name ... I really lack imagination in coming up with screen names.

Getting back on topic regarding YB, I was starting to get really frustrated at SW for not confessing to MN given all his chances, and then it struck me he is really timid and can't declare his love without the help of elaborate staging and props. Realizing this, now I don't feel as bad that SW and MN are not going to hook up, if ever. TK was braver than SW, willing to be vulnerable and swallow loss of pride, and so I think he's more deserving of MN.

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214 tinyviolin

November 19, 2009 at 7:20 AM

I totally agree with you about Shin-woo. He should have told her. If he's not going to be embarrassed like he claimed, he should have told her everything and given her the chance to make a...semi...informed choice (because she still doesn't know about TK's feelings).

That said, I'm really struggling not to label Mi-nyeo as a hopeless idiot. I mean this in the kindest, most affectionate way possible, but dear God...thank heaven she was safe in a convent until now. I know, I know, she was set to be a nun, she's supposed to not expect romantic feelings aimed at her. I'm trying hard to see Shin-woo through her eyes, because on the outside IT"S SO OBVIOUS. Her childlike-ness is finally becoming frustrating for me.

I'm actually grateful for Hwa Ran's sharpness in this episode. Compared to the rest of the lot, she's a genius worthy of Chae Do-woo from "Story of a Man".

Although the pace has slowed down a lot, there's a still a lot of story that needs to be told. To me, there's many directions they could have gone already. But I'm sitting on my hands, waiting. C'mon now, c'mon....

I still like this drama, of course. ^^ Jeremy! It was still too little, but I'm happy you were around! I'm glad He-yi was finally sent packing...what she did was so horrible, I gasped out loud (and maybe also said something rude). How humiliating for Shin-woo. He should have hit her!! And Tae-kyung's...I mean Jang Geun seok's...smile is flammable.

After this, however, I'm going to have to watch a drama that stars an assertive, intelligent woman. She can be innocent and funny, too, as long as she's intelligent. Otherwise, my brain might melt out of my ears. ^^

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215 Kristine

November 19, 2009 at 7:33 AM

Really loved Shin Woo in this episode. It breaks my heart to see him so sad and helpless in front of Minam. His acting is amazing considering the fact that its his first time. Hope to see more of him in other dramas :-p

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216 Norma

November 19, 2009 at 7:58 AM

Well....after watching the episode...I'm getting that awful feeling that something is going to happen with the relationship between TK and MN!!!! That song he is working on for his mother is gonna be a real problem child....TK is working on it and doing research on the writer....he knows his mother is involved and now it will mean finding out information on who her "lover" was and directly connected to MN!!! There was all ready a quick scene on TK being very angry at MN and letting her know he doesn't want her around him. When I heard Mother Superior make a comment about their "light" and that they would be able to shine for each other even when times get bad.....that really was a clue! TK has much to over come in his anger towards his mother and his feelings of how she abandoned him and now the way she is trying to "fix" her guilty conscience by making it right with MN and her brother! Oh gosh....I just hope the love that is there between TK and MN can with stand the final blow! I know that other bitch who lives a dream is not finished in taking down MN.....

I just dread the final episodes but gotta remember it's a DRAMA!!!!

Darn I was having fun not even thinking or analyzing....and now I've gotten swept up in the sense of this not being just a happy love story!!!

Gotta love the acting.....it's totally awesome!!!!! TK you just put your heart and soul in everything you do!!!!

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217 waitingforep14

November 19, 2009 at 8:01 AM

its now 11.59 pm - did someone just finish episode 14?? Oh can't wait to watch it too.. i'm one of the girls out there who used to be responsible working adults =p

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218 Neliq

November 19, 2009 at 8:16 AM

Wow!! What can I say that have yet to be said? This drama makes my heart flutters and it feels like I am young again. Feelings that are reminicent of past experiences are coming back to live and I want to hold on to them as long as I can. Its heartwarming, its funny, its well written, it makes us happy, it makes us yearn, it makes our hearts grow fonder. It's a beautiful drama that we will miss once it's over.

I have to mention that I truly appreciate your recaps. They are well written and the photos and gifs are always to the point. I download all the songs you post and love to hear them over and over again. Thanks so very much for the time and effort you put into creating this intelligent recaps for all of us to enjoy.

BTW - is there any way that we can get the gif you posted today - TK with Pig-Rabbit? If it cannot be posted here, could you email to me? Please, pretty please!!

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219 G

November 19, 2009 at 8:19 AM

o geez... i love the recaps here.... i am force to stop in between ep 13 tonight due to the unsubbed parts(the team whose vids im watchin didnt have enough time to sub it.. but they rock! :D it's cos of them that i can watch it) so being able to read the recap here makes me feel waaaaaaay better... :D! THANKS!

PS: THANK YOU LOADS! the Fly Me to The Moon n the song that SW sang for GMN in the dancin room... i've been seachin for thm and finally found them HERE!

U ROCK.... BIG TIME! :)

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220 Arivle

November 19, 2009 at 8:27 AM

Thank you for your excellent recaps.....this episode was a 10....I love how the director and the Hong Sisters balance the humor, sadnes, and angst.....it just gets better.....I agree with you this was SW episode and he did a great job I feel bad for him but at the same time he had so many chances to tell her the truth but it wasn't meant to be....MN loves SW but as a friend only.....her heart is all TK to keep.......
Love the 100 points scene....TK is just so competitive love it and hugging the Pig-Rabbit like 5 yr. old is priceless.......love really transform people...
Cooking scenes was hilarious...I love all the boys.....Jeremy is pure love.....
Mom want to kill her more than fake fairy....
Fake Fairy is just a lonely pitiful soul...that all I can say about her....is really sad that you have to black mail people in order to be your friend. She needs lessons on friendship...
Just saw ep. 14 OMG OMG almost pass out cold/hot all at the same time........my heart broke twice in this episode.....KUDOS YAB CAST AND PRODUCTION TEAM

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221 Zuru

November 19, 2009 at 8:43 AM

Although I did enjoy the drama "tremendously", there're some points along the way I found myself wait for the ep on Thurs to watch the two eps at the same time instead of excitedly longing for each one to come out: that happened with ep. 9 +10 and now.

My love for YAB recovers quite quickly after that. However, the fact hints sth to me.

The plot has been extremely good up till now. But sth over there has yet to be right: MN takes others' words at face value over and over again; TK still puts his pride higher than his true feelings... Well, I guess I need to see an emotional burst here, a big burst!

Nonetheless, interpreting this fact in another way, that's the success of YAB: make audience really live longing for the drama, live wanting the drama, live expecting sth more from the drama.

I heard that there might be season 2. hmm, actually i don't like this idea.
This drama is for entertaining... somehow, to me, it means: time of tasting sth fun and new needs to be limited. Extention for 1-2 eps might be ok, but another season? oh pls, give me a break!

Well, honestly, I still hold my breath about how well the drama will be :P yes, I'm really afraid to be disappointe - that just explains how much I love YAB! :))

Speaking of which, I don't like that Smile, another fav drama of mine at this time), extended up to 46 eps either (! toooooooo many! :| )

Anyway, thumps up for YAB! =D

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222 crackaddict

November 19, 2009 at 8:55 AM

More so than Heyi, the WORST villain that I have absolutely no sympathy for is TK's mother. Seriously, that woman needs to just get it together, abandoning an own child and claiming your lover's children as yours??? What kind of screwed up character is that?

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223 Fan

November 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM

Thank you again JB for the super recaps! :)

And thank you everyone for cool comments and analyses, I confess I love YB more because there's so many fun people around to share the addiction... we are the crack-heads united! :) (And JB is our crack-dealer!)

@109

"He could probably sing Sesame Street or the Elmo song and still sound good! AAh…love YAB!"

But I LIKE Sesame Street! :) Ohhhh... don't give me ideas... how CUTE would _that_ be??! ;)

@ All comments about JGS's 'Engrish'

I know I'm a lost cause when I think his mistaking every "r" for a"l" makes me go "awwwww!" rather than "ewwww!" :)

Just so it's official.

Hi, my name is "pen", I am YB Addict.

@Episode 13

I actually was rather disappointed at parts of it... contrary to popular opinion here I think in contrast to Hong ki, JGS and PSH, JYH is much less expressive with his eyes and face and body. I love JYH too don't misunderstand (and yes, thank heavens he's legal too! ;) ) but as an actor he has some catching up to do, and though I really felt SW's pain here and his heroism, I think it's more the circumstance and the writing than YH's acting.

And against the grain of general opinion, I've grown to like SW better. He's slow, he's coy, he's a little in love with love rather than possibly MN as a human, BUT he has the right ideas, he's compassionate, he's romantic in his own crippled way, but he does what he hopes is the best for everyone. Good lad! BUT sooooo trodden on in Episode 13!

I found this episode a little terrible because of the constant barrage that poor SW gets. HY! I'm really pacifist in my leanings, and I'm female, so I'm a little touchy about guys hitting girls, but I actually _wanted_ SW to give HY a tight slap. What good does tormenting SW do for you or anyone? It's senseless, meaningless pain-infliction... and qualifies her, in my books, into a borderline inhuman status.

But with subs I have to say MN and TK are cute beyond words!

Favorite bits for me:
TK’s test was soooo totally cute…. NICE GOING Hong sis’s! His hiccup at the “2” was belly-ache-inducing! Fast thinking from the stuffy-half of our favorit-est messed-up, crazy couple! Hooray!

His beautiful smile and elated “Proud of you!” to Pig-bit was the BEST!

And the team’s “Oh shit!” expression when MN walks in is priceless (ahh… now I have the mastercard advertisement playing in my head again!) ;)

JEREMY!!! You’re hilarious!!! LOVE Hong-ki’s facial expressions at the pasta... ah Jeremy you have me twisted around your little blond pig-tail!

The most amazing thing about Episode 13 (and 14) for me?

TK happy.

TK smiling like a boy at X'mas. TK beaming with delight. TK grabbing the pig-bit. TK the angel finally finding his wings and his love and his smile. :)

Oh Mother Superior did I die and go to heaven?

PSH, could I ask you a favor? Really it's not such a big favor!

On one of those BTS’s would you just ‘fess up that you like JGS- even if it’s only the weeeeee-est, tiniest, most-fleeting of crushes? And kiss him? Just once and I promise I'll quit going on about it... I know you're a pro, as is JGS, I realize everyone says you're not JGS's type and who knows maybe JGS isn't yours (though I have difficulty understanding that one! ;) )

But you would make us poor "pen"s so happy!

(I go into fantasy mode, manager-like "please, please, please, please" dance complete with psychedelic backdrop.)

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224 wy

November 19, 2009 at 9:23 AM

this episode is considered a shinwoo epsiode to me, he seem quite pitiful, the way Uhey 'exposed' him...but all the scenes i loved was those between TK and MN hahaha..i am abit bias..;) about few part s of the episode, 1st part is where they on the way home eating the tangerines...i find it so cute! the way TK asking her to feed her. 2nd part is where she was chatting to the 'adminstrator' of the fanclub answering the questions without knowing TK was the one behind it. and when he know he is 100 marks to her, he squealed and squeezed the pig-rabbit. so cute!! hahaha 3rd part is where they were cooking for Uhey...the way they put the secret ingredients into her spaghetti make me laugh....4th part is after he found out that MN did not go with SW to meet his parents..that hug is so touching! =) 5th part where he pretend to have fanmeet with her..kekeke

but i cannot stand MN's slowless to catch what SW trying to tell her..grrrr

oh well, i really hope the next episode is OK, but judging from the preview of epi 14, look like TK wanted to distant from her?? argh...

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225 Angela

November 19, 2009 at 9:32 AM

I'm glad that I wasn't the only one to be so pleasantly surprised (and heartbroken) by the depth of his acting in this episode. I'd originally loved Shinwoo (as I tend to do with most 2nd male leads), but it had turned into an almost-indifference after a while, but this episode picked that back up for me, and now I'm absolutely devastated.

I can't believe that this series is almost over!

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226 Mei

November 19, 2009 at 10:03 AM

cheohwahae... ** faints.. hahahaha! i've just finished ep 14, gaaahhhh, the first minute was funny and romantic at the same time!!!

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227 Fran

November 19, 2009 at 10:05 AM

Just watched episode 14. Two words: Watch It.

TK's erm.... Conceiver? (refuse to use the M word with this woman) has raced to the top of my hit list now. To call her a psycho would be an insult to all the psychotic people in this world.

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228 Sarah

November 19, 2009 at 10:06 AM

wow. so like 60 other people here I heard the rumor about a season 2 and wondered if if was legit.
any thoughts miss javabeans?

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229 Fan

November 19, 2009 at 10:27 AM

@Yvhsieh

Ah, I see you already commented on the hiccup! :) That was a smooth touch from JGS! Me thinks he's really getting into and enjoying his TK stint!

Episode 14 (very mild spoilers)

Contrary to preview expectations (as usual!) episode 14 was actually a huge win for me and not as angsty as I was afraid.

TK smiled and smiled and smiled so that I
1) started to develop breathing issues (and I'm not even so much as asthmatic!)
2) almost don't recall anything else from the episode

Ahhh... JGS is excellent at conveying to me the shivers that I associate with love- his TK is sooo in love, and for once, so clearly, it's bliss to watch!

There's so many cute moments... those of you who haven't seen it are in for a major TREAT! I shan't spoil any of them for you... I'll save that for after JB has her recaps out for 14!

Jeremy is a kick-a&^&* character- he wins for being the most honest, direct most clear-hearted about how he feels, most open-heartedly expressive character.

Hands-down.

His intelligence when it comes to how he feels and why and how he deals with it, is heart-breakingly lovely to watch. (And I haven't even seen a version with conversations that I understand! Hongki conveyed all this with his look and tone of voice and tears and eyes... great work! )

PSH's smiles are also so guileless, so sincere, so entirely un-self-conscious, selfless and EARNEST that even while my brain tells me I should be disgusted at her idiocy, my heart tells me I just love her.

It was definitely an uplifting episode for me... now I just have to be able to understand what they're saying and maybe I'll love it even more! :)

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230 Harlene

November 19, 2009 at 10:27 AM

Fantastic Recap JB!! I so love the .gifs!!!!!!!

Kudos!

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231 snap

November 19, 2009 at 10:36 AM

i just saw episode 14 and OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!! i love it! i'm soo excited... i don't know if i'll be able to sleep... i'm too excited right now... it's already 3am here in the philippines and i seriously am considering on waiting for your recap. like, to hell with sleep! i'm dying to know what happened already! but, i have to sleep. so goodnight y'all!!! the first thing i'll do when i wake up is to check your recap. kyaa~ i'm so excited!!!!!!!

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232 le

November 19, 2009 at 10:52 AM

thanks so much for the recap. looking at the preview, poor Jeremy. anyways i totally love this drama, it is written better & acted better than Boys Over Flowers. also it is what Triple lacked, it has some of that Coffee Prince charm. i love how the 3 male leads love the lead girl, too bad she only love one back, but TaeKyung is the best. i just started watching this drama a week ago, the whole pig-rabbit thing & how it started is hilarious. and i'm surprised at how much i like Jeremy, never heard of FT Island & BOF made me dislike idols turned actors.

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233

November 19, 2009 at 11:16 AM

I can't wait to read your synopsis for episode 14!!

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234 myeong-jang

November 19, 2009 at 12:13 PM

Weeee oh thank you thank you thank you for the recap! I keep trying to stay awake late enough to catch the recap but alas, I do not contribute to the site crashes because I inevitably wind up falling asleep before. Which is quite fine actually, since that means I have a nice start to my school days on Thursday and Friday :) But not for long :(

TK patting Pig-Rabbit's bum: too cute! ^_^ Also poor Jeremy's expression when he digs into the salt and vinegar carbonara, hahaha.

After reading comments I'm a little less confused about HY's camera. Heh, while watching the ep I actually thought it was a Polaroid and I'm pretty sure those are obsolete now. Still, I wouldn't want one like hers anyway. Ew, Fake-Fairy germs :P

Like others I'm also peeved that TK's and SW's singing was so studio-y. But I am even more peeved that the songs aren't on the soundtracks D: Grrrrr I want! D:<

The preview for Ep14 has me seriously impatient now. Argh, so much drama! Although I find it a little tiring that all three guys like MN. Come on, not Jeremy too! Poor Jeremy.

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235 reluctantbutaddicted

November 19, 2009 at 12:16 PM

@ yvhsien : "But I did wonder though if TK did not show up in the last scene, would MN have considered SW’s proposition? After all, realistically, SW is right. She can’t keep having a one-sided love for TK (not knowing of course it’s not one-sided at that point)."

I liked that scene precisely b/c MN had already made up her mind, had already missed the flight b/c she knew she could not give SW even a "bit" of her heart as a beginning. So TK wasn't taking her away from SW, she'd already cut that tie herself. And SW knows it. And TK knows it, too--there she is with her suitcase and her ticket in her hand and the flight's already left.

OK, we've had:

The Airport Search Scene (in fact 2 of them, nicely bracketed and not as the closing scene--surely we can't have 3 Airport Search Scenes?? Do the Hong Sisters have a standing reservation at Incheon?)
The Screaming High-Speed U-Turn
The Arm-Pull (among several couplings of different sorts) and the Wrenching Arm-Pull-and-Throw (TK flinging MN in front of him after dragging her from the taxi, before they shout at each other and then he kisses her; also TK dragging HY out in this ep, and then telling her to leave)
The Oppa-Pout-Wiggle? Nice twist on that from HY doing her fake Oppa with TK, not sure if there was a wiggle, but maybe that's a technicality.
We have the Evil Parent, specifically the Evil Mother
and the Birth Secret
We have the Scheming Relative,
Oh. we had the initial bonding through accidental exchange of unusual body fluids (one pukes on the other, or, viz MNIKSS, urinates)
and the Accidental Kiss
We've had someone get an IV
And TK--hilariously--put a Humidifier in MN's sickroom when she had a fever.
She's Fed Him by Hand

What drama-staples are we missing? Only 3 episodes left...

No one has played Go-Stop.
No one has been to Jeju Island.
No one has dated at N Seoul Tower.
Has anyone Refused a Phone Call by Taking Out the Battery?

Did my eyes deceive me in the preview (SPOILER IF YOU DIDN"T SEE THE PREVIEW)
-- or was that the necklace from BBF? Surely they wouldn't... but it would also be funny if they did--TK: "Hey, look what I picked up from the roadside jewellery stall THIS time--she says they're really popular since some TV show last spring".

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236 Carrie

November 19, 2009 at 1:39 PM

@165 jubilantia all I can say is a big fat ditto to your whole post!!! Especially this part:
–>the fan predicament- imagination on the Hong sisters’ part! It’s just so close, yet so far away from what’s really going on. And the fan club test? The whole sequence had me rolling. I’ve decided, besides his voice, that my other favorite Jang Geun Seuk quality is the facial expressions- his little eyebrow movements are so awesome.
This leads into my fascination with why I find these vaguely effeminate guys so attractive. I mean, JGS is stuck with emo eyeliner, silly hairstyles and nutty clothes. Why am I swooning? Is it the charisma? But that’s such a nebulous, indefinable, subjective term that it doesn’t really satisfy me as an explanation. Maybe that’s what enables him to inhabit his character so completely, which might be what is working so much for me.

You're right! You so aptly put into words what I was feeling about JGS....

*he's legal... he's legal...he's legal*

Also... out of so many faves in this ep one that had me rolling? When HY went up to TK asking if she could help him and he turns and looks at her and says, "I have a knife." HYSTERICAL!

Sad this drama is over next week....

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237 Fan

November 19, 2009 at 2:31 PM

Entirely frivolous comment- but I just got to see the stills on sommpi from a certain-scene-I'll-not-spoil-for-folks-here, and though the actual moving pictures were less inspiring, the stills were well choosen enough that all I can think to say to PHS and JGS, excuse me, I meant (sort of) TK and MN is...

GET THEE TO BED ALREADY!

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238 YABaddict

November 19, 2009 at 2:43 PM

@235
Ahahah...I was riding my bike today, and I thought...oh, we haven't had a bike scene yet. Well, I guess they have cars now...but it seems we were on the same wavelength...

@236
I agree too! I was thinking the other day that what is really appealing with JGS is that he does look effeminate, and yet, he has such a manly voice...you can't mistake him for a woman, he's definitely a MAN, which makes him...hmm..."sensual"? He's got so much sex appeal for being so young...can't wait to see him as a more mature actor...what will he be like in his 30s? but, I can wait, thoroughly enjoying him now!

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239 reluctantbutaddicted

November 19, 2009 at 2:52 PM

K-drama accomplishments of the series thus far—(thinking of conversations on previous OT s)
OK, we've had:

The Airport Search Scene (in fact 2 of them, nicely bracketed and not as the closing scene--surely we can't have 3 Airport Search Scenes?? Do the Hong Sisters have a standing reservation at Incheon/Kimpo?)
The Screaming High-Speed U-Turn
The Arm-Pull (among several couplings of different sorts) and the Wrenching Arm-Pull-and-Throw (TK flinging MN in front of him after dragging her from the taxi, before they shout at each other and then he surprise (to both) kisses her; also TK dragging HY out in this ep, and then telling her to get out)
The Oppa-Pout-Wiggle? Nice twist on that from HY doing her fake Oppa with TK, not sure if there was a wiggle, but maybe that's a technicality.
We have the Evil Parent, specifically the Evil Mother
and the Birth Secret (and the Missing Sibling)
We have the Scheming Relative,
Oh. we had the Initial Bonding through Accidental Exchange of Unusual Body Fluids (one pukes on the other, or, viz MNIKSS, urinates)
and the Accidental Kiss (here we had a brilliant combo of these two)
We've had someone get an IV (Evil Mother)
And TK--hilariously--put a Humidifier in MN's sickroom when she had a fever.
She's Fed Him by Hand.
We had the Couple Rings courtesy of Heyi (nice twist on that one, used by HY with TK refusing to wear his).
Back Hug? Jeremy BH'd MN early on; I guess that fulfills this requirement.

What drama staples are we missing? Only 3 episodes left...

No one has played Go-Stop.
No one has been to Jeju Island.
No one has dated at N Seoul Tower.
Has anyone Refused a Phone Call by Taking Out the Battery?
No one has leukemia yet but the Evil Mother keeps talking about how she hasn’t got long to live, is tired of living, etc, in a rather meaningful way.

Did my eyes deceive me in the preview (SPOILER IF YOU DIDN’T SEE THE PREVIEW)
-- or was that the necklace from BBF? Surely they wouldn't... but it would also be funny if they did--TK: "Hey, look what I picked up from the roadside jewellery stall THIS time--she says they're really popular since some TV show last spring".

Sorry... I was having internet connection problems and just kept adding to this, so now it's a really long post...

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240 ivych

November 19, 2009 at 3:15 PM

JB thank you so much for all the recaps and news. JB i have a favor IS THERE ANY NEWS IN KOREA THAT THIS SERIES WILL EXTEND.....i am sooo sad right now that this series have to end....and its going to end on my birthday...huhuhuhuhu......why cant they extend it? there are so many things unresolved and i dont think 2 episodes will do justice. please JB hope you can figure it out for us

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241 Hiding Reader

November 19, 2009 at 3:23 PM

LOL @239 reluctantbutaddicted ...very true and what about
FEW YEARS AHEAD????

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242 Cherrie

November 19, 2009 at 3:26 PM

WAH! Feel SO bad for SHINWOO!!! :(((
And for Jeremy - that pasta must have been DISGUSTING! ;D

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243 snuffythemonkey

November 19, 2009 at 3:32 PM

@185

You're right, TK and his mother are really more a like than he would have admitted. In the previews (POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT TO SOME) he gets really angry with GMN because of her connection with her father through birth. His mother also hated TK simply because he was fathered by a man she detests. So yeah, he is really alike and maybe he'll see how silly it is to stop loving someone because they are associated with a person he disliked.

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244 reluctantbutaddicted

November 19, 2009 at 3:48 PM

Oops. Sorry about sending the long post twice. Internet hiccup.

But I will take this opportunity to say I love JGS's expressions of surprise/gasps of horror -- eg seeing the deathly MN beside the fridge, then later her aunt, and getting the score of 2! He's doing so well with this... and seems to be having a lot of fun, too.

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245 Layla

November 19, 2009 at 4:29 PM

ok am i the only one who wants Mi Nam to be with Shin Woo? because throughout the whole series, I think I am actually, legitimately in love with his character lol
he's so sweet, I wish I had someone like that in my life

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246 YAB fan

November 19, 2009 at 5:52 PM

does anyone know what the instrumental song played when there's a dramatic scene?

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247 moomoomoo

November 19, 2009 at 6:08 PM

lol reluctant!
it was funny reading your comment.
i guess the reason why the phone hasn't been "de-batteried" is cos that Samsung Corby phone ( which looks soooo nice. i wanna buy it!) has a back cover thats not easily detachable.
and you can't expect idols to play go stop can you??? haha...

and about the airport scenes. you know how fans of dramas always go to filming locations to "worship" their idols and relive the drama scenes, who knows one day hordes of drama fans might just go to incheon airport just so to see the pillar that minam hid behind or sometihng..

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248 loolie

November 19, 2009 at 6:39 PM

Thank you so much for the summary! I've been reading silently for awhile, but I finally get to express my thanks! But.... On the other hand, I kind of think that Shinwoo's just not telling his feelings out of consideration for Minam because he knows that she likes Taekyoung and if he tells her, it would just make her feel guilty and sorry, so I think he just wants to be there for her. Throughout the series, I think Shinwoo's been trying to tell her how he feels, but sine she seemed to have such a hard time, I think he refrained from doing that. In the end of this episode, I think he just asked her out because his desperation was just adding up and when she didn't go with him to board the airplane, I think he knew that that was her form of rejection (hopefully). As much as I love the Shinwoo/Minam coupling, I think that Shinwoo should get with a girl who was a bit less dense. Had it been a normal girl, she probably would have picked up some of the hints and coded messages that he was leaving around and confronted him about it lol. Another theory as to why he wasn't fessing up, may be he had a painful past love? When it comes to K-dramas, the possibilities are endless lol.

*Can't wait for Episode 14, thank goodness the Hong Sisters didn't forget the darling that is Jeremy! I hope they give him more screen time from now on lol.

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249 LilyB

November 19, 2009 at 6:45 PM

YAY!!!! I always look forward to reading your recaps. This was by far my favorite episode because we get to see TK nervous since it isn't clear to MN about his feelings. I felt so bad for SW. WHY SW!? :( He is so adorable and my heart goes out to him :( BUT I'm a TK shipper so I'm rooting for those two all the way. HOPEFULLY they'll be a great ending. Im dreading the 14th episode, saw the preview and didn't like how Jeremy was all sad, plus the angry TK telling MN to get lost. EEEKSSS! I love your recaps again :) Looking forward to 14!!!!

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250 Z

November 19, 2009 at 6:48 PM

Just watched this ep.... Can I just say that Minam's denseness is truly getting annoying. I mean, I try to remain incredulous about it because it's just TV and there is no need to stress yourself out about fictional characters (and I'm not super attached to any of them anyway) but the only way for someone to be so clueless is if the nuns who raised her were themselves raised by wolves. Mother Superior was able to figure everything out by looking at TeaKyung for 3 seconds, from a distance, in the dark!!! If an 80 year old nun can get it, then she should be able to put two and two together and at least come in the neighborhood of four, instead of the 391 that she's been getting up to this point!

That said, TeaKyung in love is ADORABLE. Like literally, the dude looks like he's all of 12 years old when he smiles. I mean all of them with the exception of Shinwoo, look like they are twiddling their thumbs waiting for that puberty thing they've heard so much about but Teakyung takes the cake. Not that I'm complaining... it saves me the trouble of having an inappropriate crush on yet another jailbait actor.

Speaking of Shinwoo, I still love the guy but really, he's got no one to blame but himself at this point. That said, I'll be more than happy to comfort him any day... well, once his hair grows back out...

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